


Winter's End

by Flammenkobold



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: A Bit of Fluff, Asexual Character, Developing Friendships, Everyone is Queer, Gay Character, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, implied/referenced past manipulation, very mild suicidal ideation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 12:11:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8979181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flammenkobold/pseuds/Flammenkobold
Summary: Cassandra stands on top of the highest tower of the castle, thinking over the upcoming battle against Thordak, when a certain rogue-in-training stumbles over her (or followed her).





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Critrole Secret Santa for @marshmallowmoth. Who requested either fluff with Kimallura or Vexleth or Cass&Kynan becoming gay bffs. I wanted to write fluff, I really did, but I can never say no to Cassandra de Rolo, so here we are. Kynan is gay, Cass is ace and they are both lovely, fucked-up mini-rogues who desperately need friends their own age.
> 
> There is some mood-whiplash in there, but it has a happy ending. I hope you enjoy it!

Cassandra stands atop the highest tower of the castle, her coat tightly wound around her and the wind tousling her hair. Winters in Whitestone are always cold and long, and this one especially so, but it's coming to an end.

Still she shivers as she looks down on her city, her home. Percival is gone again and this time there is a good chance (again) that he will never return. And if he doesn't, it likely means that Whitestone won't be standing for long either.

If Thordak wins the coming battle, all of their defenses will be gone as well. Vox Machina and brave Lady Kima and wonderful Gilmore, who had kept the barrier around Whitestone up for so long.

Cassandra doesn't want to think about it so closely, doesn't want to run circles around it in her head. Even though she can't influence the battle of Emon, she can prepare for the destruction of Whitestone. She should, it's expected of her. Yet she stands here on the top of her castle, looking down at that little gem of a city her family had protected for so long, instead of being down in the war-room and preparing for the worst possible outcome.

There is a soft shuffling noise behind her that barely registers over the wind. It makes her whirl around anyway and grab the hilt of her shortsword.

"I'm sorry, m'lady! I didn't want to interrupt you."

Her hand relaxes on the hilt, as her eyes find the boy – young man – looking at her with wide eyes and a pale face. She's seen him around and she's gleaned his story from the bits and pieces others have told her. Kynan Leore. Gods forbid Percy tell her straight away who he was and what he had done, or whose company he had kept, before dropping him on her like all the other refugees.

"What are you doing here?"

He doesn't meet her eyes and he doesn't say a word, but he steps a bit closer to her and the ledge and peeks over it.

"Wait, were you following me?"

His eyes quickly glance over to her, before being drawn back to the way down, his mouth opening and closing a few times, before he swallows and says something that shakes her to her core.

  
"It's a long way down, isn't it?"

For a moment she closes her eyes. She's thought that so many, many times, while the Briarwoods held her captive. She shakes her head.

"That doesn't answer my question."

He blinks and focuses back on her, away from the fast way down the tower.

"Vax'ildan asked me to," Kynan mumbles and she has to raise an eyebrow at that. Her brother's friend, really?

“To follow me?”

“No-, no! To, well, to keep an eye on you. I mean, not like this, like- to keep you company or to protect you- I- I think-”

"I didn't know he cared about me at all," she interrupts his stammering.

"He does," Kynan is too fast to jump to Vax defense.

Cassandra crosses her arms. "You know him that well then?" She watches as he curls into himself again.

"Not really, no. But-" He bites his lower lip. "-I think he has a good heart. And he asked me to, so I suppose he cares about you," he adds stubbornly.

"Perhaps it was meant more to benefit you," she insinuates and by the way his ears turn red and he gapes at her like a fish, she figures he caught her meaning.

"No- I- It's not like that," he protests vehemently, his hands waving as frantically as his eyes dart around. It makes her laugh. Cassandra doesn't mean to be rude or to make fun of him, but it's so rare that people around her get visibly flustered, especially not to such an extent.

"Besides I wouldn't be into you," he says petulantly, as her laughter continues.

"Really?" she asks and watches as his own words sink in and the blush from his ears spreads over his entire face, down to his neck.

"I'm sorry, m'lady," he mumbles and hides his face in his hands. "I- I didn't, I mean-" She lifts her head and shushes him before he can ramble on.

"For what it's worth I wouldn't be into you either," she declares haughtily.

Kynan peeks out between his hands, eyes wide.

"Oh, oh – so you..." .

"I don't think I'd be interested in anyone," she feels herself clarify and immediately holds her breath. Her own ears are turning pink and she vehemently blames it on the cold wind whipping around the tower.

She never had time for boyfriends or girlfriends before, and she hadn't been interested either. Before the Briarwoods attacked, she was still young, but not younger than Vesper when she had her first crushes on pretty boys. The few friends she had among the town children also started to get interested in others and Cassandra had never quite understood the fuss. Vesper had assured her that she would, once she was older.

Well, she was older now, but it still didn't ring true. She had confided as much to Keeper Yennen once and he had looked at her with sad eyes. "The life you had to live until now, didn't leave much room for such feelings. But Cassandra, I'm sure that better times are ahead."

It had felt like he hadn't quite understood her. It was just like this, some servant girls would go on about how handsome Jarrett was and how pretty Kashaw was with his different eye colors. Some servant boys would look starry eyed at Allura. And well, Allura had only eyes for Lady Kima.

Cassandra did find each of them aesthetically pleasing, but not more than that.

She had brought it up with Allura once too, but her reaction had been similar to Yennen's. Well meaning and reassuring and somehow falling flat and leaving Cassandra frustrated.

Kynan next to her shifts and finally lets his hands fall back to his side. “Oh. Okay,” he just says, taking her words at face value. Cassandra blinks and for a rare moment is stumped for words.

The silence between them stretches for an uncomfortable moment too long, before Cassandra sighs and rubs her temple.

“Just so you know, you can call me Cassandra,” she declares magnanimously.

“Thanks,” he stammers out. “I'm Kynan,” he offers in return.

She rolls her eyes. “I know who you are.”

“Oh,” he mutters, ducking his head. “Look, I- I wanted to apologize.”

“For what?”

His shoulders were drawn tight and he didn't dare look at her. “For what happened- with your brother,” he said.

“For helping Ripley kill him?” She watches as he visibly flinches, but she wasn't to apologize. It wasn't his fault, she knew that better than anyone. Anna Ripley had always been manipulative, easily on par, if not above, the Briarwoods and even Anders. Kynan didn't seem like the kind of person who was prepared for the deceit she could bring. It wasn't his fault for falling for it or for believing her lies, but what good would it be to tell him that. Being told it wasn't her fault hadn't helped her much.

Kynan nods and his gaze is drawn back to the edge of the tower. “Yes.”

“It's-,” she starts and wasn't sure how to continue. It wasn't all right. She might not have seen Percy's lifeless body, but the shock had still settled deep in her bones, when the news had reached her. “Just don't do it again.”

Kynan shakes his head vehemently, his eyes still fixed on the tower's edge. “I won't.”

“Good,” Cassandra says. “Otherwise I will take care of you myself.” It wasn't meant as a threat, but rather a simple reassurance. Vax'ildan's promise still echoes in her head, if she harms any of Vox Machina his blades will find her. She doubts he would come through with it, but she'll never deny that there were days when she clung to those words, so that the seeds of Delilah's manipulations didn't take root again.

People here in Whitestone trust her. Percival seems to trust himself even less than her, which was kind of funny, because she definitely had a hard time trusting herself. So it was nice to have someone else in the world who didn't quite trust her as much as everyone else. Perhaps Kynan could appreciate the same courtesy.

He finally looks directly at her, at least. Blinking at her slowly, as if he was seeing her truly for the first time. Then there was a soft smile on the corner of his lips. “I wouldn't doubt it.”

“But I'd rather I won't have to,” she adds and he nods slowly. It was like the air had cleared.

“Me neither, m'lady.”

She closes her eyes briefly. “And please stop calling me that.”

He hesitates. “Cassandra.”

She nods at him. “Kynan.”

The silence between grows awkward again and Kynan shuffled his feet.

Cassandra looks out at the horizon. “I should be going down to the war room, make preparations,” she announces, but doesn't move.

“Okay,” Kynan says softly. She still doesn't move, eyes darting down below again, to her beautiful city. “Do you want me to accompany you?” He offers awkwardly.

She snorts. “So you can keep an eye on me?”

He gapes at her like an embarrassed fish. “No! I mean, I don't-”

Cassandra lifts a hand to stop his ramblings while having to hide her smile behind the other one. He was really easy to fluster.

“I think I could use the company,” she admits.

"Shall we then, m'lady?” He says, tentatively holding out his hand. He gives her a shy smile that could almost be called mischievous. It makes him look younger and yet far more mature than his glum looks had done.

"You know, that is not how you refer to the ruler of Whitestone, right?" She says dryly, but placed her hand in his anyway. It was surprisingly warm, despite the chill atop the tower.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Congrats Cassandra made a friend. So did Kynan. It is going to be a very good friendship, were they constantly tease each other with small things and everyone is confused. For a while people think they are together. Kynan is embarrassed by this notion and Cassandra annoyed, until she finds out how much it bothers Percy. Then she just plays along until everyone finally figures out, yeah, no, these two really are just friends. When that is cleared up she tells her brother in no uncertain terms that if he wants the de Rolo bloodline to continue, he better gets to it himself.  
> Kynan grows bolder and more courageous with every passing day and becomes head of the Whitestone guards, eventually admits to Vax that he used to have the biggest crush on him and gets him as his flower girl for his wedding to some very handsome farmer's son. Cass of course is the best man.  
> Everyone lives happily ever after.


End file.
